My name is Orchid. I’m one of the Commanders under the
Black Mage and the founder of the Black wings. To everyone, I am a sullen and
hostile girl which wouldn’t give people the time of day. I felt no emotion when
my twin sister, Lotus, got killed by one of the heroes, Phantom. In fact, if
she had a funeral (which of course she did not) I wouldn’t even attend. That’s
how I am; I lack emotion, and almost everything else nice.
“You could make even Hawkeye furious,
Orca,” the army commander, Hilla, said to me one day with a grin. And, of
course, I just walked past her like she didn’t exist. Of course, sometimes my
fellow workers like to call me Orca, because they didn’t really believe someone
like me would have such a sweet name like Orchid. Well, you didn’t, didn’t you?
However, there is one thing I have
kept a secret even from my twin sister, Lotus. Nobody knows it; nobody knows
the past and childhood I have kept secret for so long……
It was a dark and stormy night. The
huge ship was rocking dangerously from side to side. Sea water splashed onto
the deck and the saltiness of the sea filled the air. The sailors were
screaming orders to each other and hoisting the tattered sails for as long as
they could hold. Lightning rippled through the sky and bathed the world in
light before it disappeared and engulfed the world in darkness again. In one of
the cabins, I was shaking profusely. Well, I was only five that time; what
would you expect?
Lotus came into the room in the middle
of my sobbing; hair tangled and smothered in salt, cheeks red from the salty
air. She had been trying to help the sailors before she was pushed away by the
sailors, screaming: “Get away, little girl!! Go back to your parents or
something!! Just go away!!”
And of course, Lotus did not feel very
happy about that. Even though she was only five, she had been told by many
people she was very mature. Lotus took this as: “Wow, Lotus, you are very grown
up!!” So she felt she could do anything an adult could do, in this matter,
hoist the sails.
“I mean, it’s not fair!!” she screamed
to practically no one at all. “We are on this ship too!! How come I can’t hoist
the sails?” I wasn’t paying attention to her endless babbling. Instead, I was
worried how long the ship would hold out against the storm. I snuggled deep
into the folds of my blanket as passengers in gowns, robes and all kinds were
stumbling into our cabin as it was the only one that seemed warm and safe at
that time.
“Lotus, please, do be quiet,” I said
in my soft voice. She quieted down and ruffled my hair, smiling slightly. It
was hard to believe she actually cared for me last time. “Sorry, Orc!! Must
have upset you.” She looked out the little porthole beside my bed. “This storm
is a monster.”
Indeed it was, but her comment didn’t
make me feel any better. We were traveling to Victoria
Island when the storm hit us and chaos started on the deck.
Lightning flashed across the sky and the thunder threatened to send us overboard
in a second. Another tremor rippled across the cabin. I buried my head in the
folds of my blanket and whimpered. I could feel Lotus’s warm hand brushing the
blanket, trying to reassure me; that everything would turn out okay.
But it wasn’t. I knew, I knew. It
would just be a second before the lightning struck us and blow us all to bits.
I was that type of child; always thinking negative things. When I had the fever
last time when I was young, I was scared I was going to die. It wasn’t until I
was cured did I realize it wasn’t that big of a deal, a fever. Looking back, I
could see I was a rather pathetic type of child.
“We’re all going to die,” I muttered
beneath my blankets, hoping no one would hear. I could hear Lotus’s muffled voice
from beneath the thick blankets: “Oh, c’mon, Orchid!! It isn’t that bad.” Oh,
so she heard me. Trust Lotus!! Ears like a lynx. I poked my head out from my
blanket and looked out the porthole. Lightning cracked through the sky and
nearly hit us. Oh, it isn’t that bad, is it?
I could hear voices everywhere;
anxious voices, frightened voices, reassuring voices, all around our little
cabin as all the passengers whispered their thoughts about the storm. Hearing a
certain woman say: “I’m surprised this storm hasn’t sent us overboard!!” did
not help my mood. Lotus didn’t seem the least bit scared of the storm and
instead was chatting it up with a group of friends she had already made. Well,
that was us; her social, me anti-social. While she had groups and groups of
friends, I had only two.
I leaned my head against the wall and
frowned deeply as another flash of lightning illuminated the dark sky above. I
closed my eyes and tried to think of nice thoughts: A chocolate ice cream
cone….which suddenly got hit by a flash of lightning. Eeurgh!! Why can’t I stop
thinking about the lightning? No matter how many times I tried to think of
something else, a flash of lightning always wormed its way into my thoughts. I
opened my eyes again, giving up.
“Hey,
you alright?”
A voice behind me – a male voice –
shocked me out of my thoughts and I whirled around, rather hastily. Behind me,
a boy that looked about eight was standing next to my bed, his hands in his
pockets. He had a shock of red hair and onyx black eyes. On his face was a look
of concern. “Yes, I am,” I answered, not very truthfully. He grinned and sat on
the edge of my bed. Honestly!! Looking back, I could see him totally trying to
flirt. Stupid eight year-old. How old did he think I was at the time?
But of course, being only five, I
could see the boy only trying to be friendly. He smiled at me and said: “Well,
I’m not surprised you’re scared. This storm is a monster.” Same thing as Lotus
said. I frowned and buried my head back into the blankets. I heard the boy
laugh at my reaction and say. “Anyway, what’s you’re name?” I poked my head out
and stared at the boy with my dark violet eyes. Should I tell him? Lotus always
said not to talk to strangers…..
Still, I didn’t see what was wrong,
but I gave him a fake name to follow (Now that, I like. Even in my youth I am
devious >:D) “Um, my name is…..um, Rose.” (Now that, I do NOT like. What
kind of name is that?) It was the only name I came up at the time, but the boy
seemed to believe it all to well. He grinned and said: “Hey there, Rose. My
name is – ”
Kraka –
thoom!!
With one swift the motion, the lightning had finally
found its target. A jolt of electricity went through me and practically
everyone on deck as the cabin and the rest of the boat was separated in two.
(Ha ha ha to the people who thought our cabin was the only one safe) Screams filled the air as sea
water started to fill the cabin. The boy sitting beside my bed scrambled off
and headed for his family and Lotus stumbled onto my bed, her eyes wide with
fear. The lights went out and we were plunged into darkness.
“Lotus, I’m scared!!” I whimper and
she stroked my hair, muttering reassuring words. But it was no use telling me
we would be alright. I was no fool. The saltwater was at my sister’s ankles
now, sloshing about. People were hugging each other and whimpering, tangled
deep in the folds of their blankets, knowing they could do nothing. The strong
smell of salt filled the room and the water rose up at steady pace. From my
porthole, I could see people from the other half of the ship struggling with
their own problems. We had no one to help.
Kraaakkaaa
– thooooom!!!!!
Another flash of lightning managed to strike our
sinking cabin and resulting in splinters. Screams could be heard everywhere and
the people in our used – to – be cabin were tossed out into the inky waters
below. I crashed into the water and the cold temperature knocked the wind out
of me. I struggled to stay a float as the heavy folds of blankets I had tangled
around my legs threatened to drown me.
“Lotus!!” I shrieked. No answer. I
spat out a mouthful of salty sea water as I madly thrashed about the water
struggling to stay afloat. A large plank that used to be a wall of the cabin
floated by and I lunged for it. I crashed onto the rough surface of the plank
and kicked the blankets off my legs. I looked around and saw chaos all around
me; people screaming for help; dead bodies floating above the surface of the
water, and pieces of scorched and broken debris. My plank seemed to be the only
safe thing to hold onto and people started to grab it. So many people grabbed
it I felt it slowly sinking. I was frightened and wished the people, the sea;
this whole situation would just disappear.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore out of the
sky and crashed into the sea. A painful electric jolt shot through me but as I
was floating on a wooden plank and wood does not conduct electricity, I
survived the worst of it. Shouts of pain rang the air and a piece of flying
debris headed my way and conked me in the head. I watched helplessly as the
world around me – the people, the bodies, and the sky – dissolved into
nothingness.
*******
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